Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday, January 14, 2011

My Left Hand - Contour Drawing and Ink

Well - today is my big day - the reception for my solo show!  Soooooooo - needless to say, I have been busy...with little time to create!  So, this is my quick effort for today.  It is a semi-contour drawing of my left hand done  with a 4B pencil on watercolor paper. Then I took a 1/2 inch watercolor wash brush and made a series of strokes across the paper -back and forth - purposely not covering all the paper.  Then I softened my paynes grey watercolor and took my paint brush on which I had sharpened the end and after dipping the sharpened end in the paint, drew onto my wet paper.  Where there is water, the paint runs - where there is no water, you get a beautiful contour line.  My college life drawing professor, Dr. Running,  taught this technique some 54 years ago at Bowling Green State University. He was great! You never know what you are going to get because you have no idea where the water is going to take the paint!  It is a real ADVENTURE!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I love this Barb!

Unknown said...

.........Did I understand what I read correctly.......you "sharpened" the end of the BRUSH? Not the pencil? And drew with the sharpened end of the brush? Assuming this is a round brush, right? I want to do this with my homeschool drawing class! Cool!!

Unknown said...

Interesting technique. I really like this. Best wishes at your solo show.

RH Carpenter said...

I'm curious about sharpening the end of the round brush, too - do you mean you just brought it to a sharp point? Howver, I'm going to try this because I love the effect. And GOOD LUCK on the show - I wish you many visitors and many buyers!

Unknown said...

A solo show! How exciting! Congratulations! Re: this technique. I am assuming that the wash brush is wet? I love the sharpened brush handles. I have sharpened a bunch and use them all the time. I sharpen them in the pencil sharpener. I also sharpen my twigs in the pencil sharpener. What fun!

Barb Sailor said...

Thanks to all of you for your comments! Yes - I sharpen the end of the handle using the pencil sharpener(I don't touch the brush end) ...and like Norena, I have many brushes that I have done this to. I also use those sharp points to indent the wet watercolor paper where I might want lines - like the veins in leaves or the spaces between boards in a barn.

The reception for my show was great! A real blessing! We had approximately 125 people in a 2 hour period. At one point it was crowded and my heart was elated!